Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson has been spared jail and will instead serve a 12-month sentence in home detention for his crimes of concealing child sex abuse throughout the 1970s.
The BBC reported the most senior member of the Catholic Church was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 months of home detention after being found guilty of failing to report abuse of two alter boys by pedophile priest James Fletcher.
Peter Criegh (also known as Peter Gogarty) confided in Wilson after he was assaulted by Fletcher when he was just 15-years-old, however, the Archbishop kept this under wraps and did not take the matter to police.
While Wilson denied he knew of the abuse, the 67-year-old has been accused of covering up the crimes to protect the church’s reputation.
In a packed Newcastle court room, Magistrate Robert Stone convicted Wilson of his crimes with no possibility of a suspended sentence.
“Given the seriousness of the matter I am of the opinion that the sentence should not be suspended,” he said, with muffled cheers following from the crowd, The Australian reported.
“The appropriate sentence is 12 months.”
Stone went on to say that Wilson’s offence was serious, but not at the top end of crimes.
“It is my opinion that the offending can be assessed at about the mid range,” he said. “The importance and ramifications of child sex abuse are well known. It places other people at risk.
“(Wilson) was in a position of trust… There is no remorse or contrition shown by the offender.”
Only weeks ago during the trial, defence barrister Ian Temby QC received some backlash from those following the case when he told the court the Archbishop’s poor health meant he shouldn’t be sentenced to prison and that he was a “good man”.
“The offender is not just a man who has no prior convictions but is, in fact, a man of prior positive good character with particular reference to the general field of prevention of child sexual abuse,” Temby said.
While Wilson will not at this stage face time in prison, he will reside with his sister in NSW until August 14 after an assessment for home detention.